Load bearing seat belt web guides are known in the prior art for directing seat belt webbing material into shoulder belt retractors to restrain vehicle occupants during collisions. Because these devices must resist substantial occupant-induced loads, they must be constructed of high strength materials. In normal operation, web guides must also be capable of permitting seat belt webbing to pass through the guide with minimal retarding frictional force. Accordingly, these devices, which are usually fabricated of metal to provide the desired structural strength, are often provided with a plastic surface coating for reducing friction with the webbing.
Some attempts have been made to achieve a structure having necessary load bearing capacity while imparting minimal web retarding friction forces. In U.S. Pat. No., 4,052,772 to Tolfsen, for example, a pillar loop is formed of round or bar steel provided in a loop with the end portions extending toward each other and bent at 90.degree. to be parallel to each other. The parallel ends are secured in a flattened steel tube having an aperture for attaching the pillar loop, which may include a plastic surface, to the vehicle structure. Heavy steel material used to achieve the necessary load bearing strength, however, is inconsistent with vehicle weight reduction objectives to meet fuel economy standards. Accordingly, it is desirable to fabricate load bearing webbing guides of light weight materials without sacrificing ability to withstand the high loads to which the guides are subjected under collision impact.
It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a load bearing seat belt webbing guide that is light weight to conform to fuel economy standards.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seat belt webbing guide that guides seat belt webbing material with minimal frictional retardation.
Yet, another object is to provide a seat belt webbing guide which can be manufactured at low cost and easily installed in a vehicle.